Author - James Lim

South Korea stands firm on crypto ETF ban, unswayed by U.S. approval

South Korea’s stance on cryptocurrency ETFs remains unchanged despite the U.S. giving the green light to a Bitcoin spot ETF. The South Korean government continues to disallow the launch of cryptocurrency ETFs, adhering to its long-standing policy of not recognizing digital currencies as financial assets. Since 2017, financial institutions in the country have been barred from...

Bitfinity allocates $7m to create Bitcoin sidechain on Internet Computer

Bitfinity Network has raised $7 million from Polychain Capital and ParaFi Capital to establish off-chain infrastructure for Bitcoin and Ordinals. In a press release shared with crypto.news, Bitfinity said the proceeds will help it develop a Bitcoin sidechain on the Internet Computer blockchain called the Bitfinity Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). With the new solutions, blockchain developers...

Upland distributed $13.5m to players in December 2023

Upland, a web3 strategy game with over three million accounts, distributed over $13.5 million to players’ PayPal accounts in December 2023. In a press release, Upland said this pointed to their commitment to empowering players with real-world value through virtual experiences. Players can earn revenue through gameplay, strategic investments, and creations within Upland. This can be converted...

Coinbase’s Bitcoin OTC trading volume reaches second-highest level in history

According to a Jan. 11 report by CryptoQuant, an on-chain and market analytics tool, Coinbase’s Bitcoin OTC trading volume reached $7.7 billion today. On Jan. 10, an official SEC filing revealed that spot Bitcoin ETFs had received approval for listing on all registered national exchanges in the U.S., including the Nasdaq, NYSE, and CBOE. This approval...

Self-belief behind Liverpool’s comeback wins, says Klopp

Liverpool's self-belief has enabled them to fight back from losing positions this season, manager Jurgen Klopp said after his side's 2-1 comeback victory over Fulham in the first leg of their League Cup semi-final. Fulham took a first-half lead with a goal from Willian, before Curtis Jones and substitute Cody Gakpo scored three minutes apart to turn the...

Microsoft challenges Apple as world’s most valuable company

A recent dip in Apple's stock over worries about iPhone sales has left the Silicon Valley tech heavyweight in danger of being overtaken by Microsoft as the world's most valuable company. Fresh worries about smartphone demand have pushed Apple's shares down 4 per cent so far in 2024 after rallying 48 per cent last year. Microsoft...

Why a US bitcoin ETF is a gamechanger for crypto

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Wednesday (Jan 10) approved exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that track the price of bitcoin in a game-changer for the cryptocurrency industry which has been trying for more than a decade to launch such a product. Multiple asset managers have applied for bitcoin ETFs since 2013, but the SEC rejected them on...

Uniqlo operator Fast Retailing Q1 profit soars on strong overseas sales

TOKYO :Japan's Fast Retailing Co said on Thursday that strong overseas sales drove a 25 per cent rise in first quarter operating profit, as the Uniqlo operator charts a third-straight year of record earnings. Profit was 146.7 billion yen ($1.01 billion) in the three months through November compared with 117.1 billion yen a year earlier. The consensus...

Netflix advertising chief says ad tier crosses 23 million monthly users – Variety

Netflix's ad-supported tier has reached more than 23 million global active users per month, the Variety magazine reported on Wednesday, quoting the streaming giant's advertising chief Amy Reinhard. The ad tier plan was launched in November 2022 in 12 markets, including the United States, to attract more customers and add a new revenue stream as competition...